When it comes to beauty and cosmetics purchases, you need to be a savvy shopper to win and purchase quality cosmetics that won't break the bank . plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The beauty industry has been steadily growing over the past 20 years, so it makes sense that the black market for cosmetics is also growing in the shadows According to reports from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in Nearly $250 billion is spent on counterfeit products in the United States every year. The main problem with counterfeit cosmetics is that they represent an insurmountable panacea for the health of all beauty lovers. all over the world just because they have an unregulated production process and non-existent laboratories. However, something is being done about it. People caught selling or producing counterfeit products can face serious consequences. Tina Oleszczuk of Florida was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay MAC Cosmetics a huge restitution for selling nearly $1 million worth of fake cosmetics on eBay. Although this is a one-of-a-kind situation where the culprit is caught, it can serve as an omen to all other people who are thinking of joining the black market. Scammers typically look for targets on Amazon, eBay, or similar websites to sell them merchandise. The victims are beauty lovers who want to own a cult product at a discounted price. The biggest problem is that anyone can sell anything online and there is no way to determine whether the product is legitimate or not until it arrives in your inbox. The International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC) is working with large companies to put an end to product piracy. Like this. Almost 90% of the products are from China because it has an ancient culture of imitation. The remaining 10% surprisingly comes from India. Production is much cheaper in these countries, so scammers often choose these places. There has been a lot of research into the ingredients of counterfeit beauty products. Since the places of production are unknown, the manufacturer is not obliged to protect users, so the "laboratories" do not meet sanitary conditions and are contaminated with waste. From urine to Escherichia coli and meningitis bacteria – the list is endless. The paint used often contains lead, potassium, mercury and deceptive paints. There are cases of people who have had severe swelling, dermatitis, rashes, the skin has burned and in some lipsticks the lips have remained glued together! Scientists have concluded that prolonged exposure to some of the chemicals in these makeup products have a toxic effect on our organs. Currently there are not many agencies looking for criminals who produce and sell counterfeit products simply because there are very serious problems to deal with. to love drugs and human trafficking. What people don't realize is that producing counterfeit products is a very tempting job and is often used as a front for money laundering and in some cases even finances the trafficking mentioned above. It may not seem like a big deal, but think about it: would you order an organ transplant from the dark web or would you want your organ tested in a hospital under hygienic conditions? It's a pretty dramatic and scary comparison, but in the end it's the same. Makeup covers and penetrates your largest organ: your skin! Right now someone is buying a MAC lipstick online with remnants of led or thinnerfor paints and is excited about the big discount. MAC Cosmetics is actually one of the rare makeup companies that is trying to raise awareness about counterfeit products. On the other hand, many companies simply don't want to comment on the theft of their products. One of the reasons is that they do not want to advertise scammers and the other is that they are afraid that they will lose customers because customers cannot be sure whether they bought the original product or not. Luckily we have many beauty gurus who tip their hats and find more affordable dupe products for high-end makeup brands. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Customize essayLet's see how we can avoid buying counterfeit products: When buying online, always buy from official sites: the greatest possibility of buying a counterfeit product is certainly online. Look for official websites with certified and safe URLs. Google helps with this by showing a green check mark next to certified websites. The rest is up to you: use your eye to determine whether the site is fake or real. Fake websites usually have extra words added next to the URL and the graphics are poor. Here are some examples: a) Real Kylie Cosmetics website: https://www.kyliecosmetics.com/ b) Fake Kylie Cosmetics website: http://www.cheapkyliecosmetics.com/Choose large retailers – Big retailers like Sephora and Ulta are the way to go. If you create an account and become BeautyInsider you can actually get special discounts and birthday gifts from the original brands. Furthermore, on each official website of the brand there is a list and location of retailers, both physical and online. Don't order beauty products from China: While the makeup may be legitimate, the safest option is not to order beauty products. from China. Chinese makeup falls under Chinese legislation that makeup contains a lot of animal residues and animal testing is mandatory in mainland China. Who needs animal-based ingredients that are potentially harmful and break down on a micro level when you can use vegan and cruelty free makeup! Do your research on the brand: Every beauty lover should first do a research on the brand before their first purchase. There are many brands out there and if the brand really exists you will be able to find many user photos and tutorials on YouTube. Beauty lovers are your best guarantee that the products are safe and of good quality. Send inquiries directly to the company - If you have purchased a product and are not sure whether it is original or not, send photos, purchase information and branding the officials will tell you if they sell their cosmetics there and if it is the real deal. MAC started this policy and most brands follow it. Look for people's reviews - it's the safest way to do it. If you found something and it's super cheap and seems like a legit product, scroll down to the reviews and you'll see the truth. Here is a Morphe x Jacklyn Hill palette from BeautyGlazed. They also created a brand that copies other brands, and of course, they don't have an official website and sell on Amazon and AliExpress. Search and compare product photos online – it's super easy because there are tons of photos and user reviews. You can zoom in on the details and easily see the difference. The packaging of counterfeit products usually looks cheaper, and the brand name in very strange cases can be easily scratched with a nail. Location of the manufacturing facility: This is one of the first things to do. Where is your makeup shipped from? Is there an address at the bottom and a phone number? Is it a registered company or a reseller? And last but not least.